By Divya Gupta:
The other day when I was reading the newspaper, I came across an article on how in a fit of rage a teenage boy from a well known school had stabbed one of his other classmates. What baffled me the most was that how can so much aggression be filled in a boy who has barely seen life and was meant to be studying and playing! Teen crime is a widespread issue which is going beyond the control of parents, teachers, and the likes.
Where does such intense criminal activity emerge in the rudiment minds is the big question which may help solve the problem. It is mostly believed that children who have had a difficult childhood are more likely to commit such crimes. Do you think teens know what they are doing when they commit a crime? Do you think teens understand the harm they are causing to the people and themselves? The answer depends on how the person deals with problems, how their past was and their environment in which they lived in is.
Teen Violence is very common and people don’t know how to deal with it. I think teens commit these crimes out of anger, jealousy, or they do it to fit in. Kids need to probably murder or steal to be accepted into a peer group. Teens who live in an aggressive, destructive, hostile, brutal and cruel environment often have a very fragile and volatile mind. They are emotionally challenged and thus, translate every strained emotion into violence. And many kids murder other people out of jealousy too. If a girl or a boy sees another person with something beautiful or they see something they want, out of spite and jealousy they would end up killing the person. Hard to accept but this is the very harsh reality!
Criminals are getting younger and so are victims.
The problem facing our juveniles will not be solved over night. But this is no excuse to ignore the problem. It will only make matters worse and keep on doubling through the years. It is our duty as citizens, friends and family to start trying to make that difference. It is frustrating to know that violence among the children is increasing in many aspects. The crimes are starting to vary. It’s not like in the past, where kids only stole candies or disobeyed curfew laws. Now children steal, murder, rape and use drugs. This is a battle.
What can we do to influence these kids to stay off trouble? First of all, we have to realize this is a very serious problem. And it has to be stopped. The second step is to figure out what causes children to be violent and become juvenile delinquents. The solution is to make the youth feel responsible for heir doings. The bad kids can be turned around by a gentler and kinder approach. This can be advocated by talking, sharing and group therapy.
Giving the same penalties to the juvenile people as their adult counterparts is not the remedy. Of course punishment is important but it is also imperative to go to the root of the problem and handle these young minds tactfully with love and care.
The writer is a Correspondent of Youth Ki Awaaz.